New Delhi, July 26: The government has announced the formal establishment of an export promotion board to be headed by cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, according to an official release.

Serviced by the ministry of commerce, the board will include secretaries in the ministries of commerce, finance, textiles, surface transport, and in the departments of electronics, industrial policy and promotion, agriculture and cooperation, revenue and civil aviation.

The announcement comes more than three weeks after prime minister IK Gujral had an interactive session with the apex chambers of commerce and industry and the exporting community in Delhi on June 26. The broad terms of reference of the board are to:

* Provide infrastructural and policy support through coordination among the ministries in the government;

* Improve export competitiveness and advantage for India by addressing cost-related elements which hinder exports;

* Ensure expeditious clearance of all export-related issues that require inter-ministerial discussion and resolution;.

* Examine and recommend measures to deal with problems arising out of non-tariff barriers to Indian exports;

* Simplify trade-related procedures, especially from the point of view of documentation requirements and by computerisation of information flows to reduce transaction costs; and

* Identify product groups for diversifying the export basket and recommend other activities for promoting and facilitating exports.

In the current era of globalisation and liberalisation, exports have been recognised as the engine of growth for developing countries.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.